History

City of Summersville  |  Summersville Dam  |  Civil War

City of Summersville

Written by former Mayor Stanley Adkins

“Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, that thirty acres of land, the property of the heirs of John Hamilton, deceased, as the same hath already been laid off, be established as a town of Summersville: and that Robert Hamilton, John Groves, Samuel Hamilton, John G. Stephenson, James Robinson, John Campbell and Edward Ryan, be and they are hereby appointed trustees thereof.”

The above Act of Legislation, dated June 20, 1820, gave life to Summersville, Virginia and also provided that the County seat of Nicholas County, formed in 1818, be moved from Hutchinson’s on Muddlety to a square tree on Peters Creek Road, above Galoway improvement. That tree, which had earlier been hewed with an ax, turned out to be located in the center of the Quilt Shoppe in present day Summersville. The birth of Summersville was not without bitter controversy. Both Archibald Hutchinson on Muddlety and John Hamilton of Keslers Cross Lanes coveted the County Seat.

The name of Summersville was controversial as well. A Virginia legislator by the name of Burton claimed the County seat should be named for him because of his work establishing the town but found the honor had already been promised to Judge Lewis Summers who had lobbied hard for the formation of Nicholas County in 1818, and had also introduced the bill into the Virginia Assembly to form the new county. Even the boundaries of the town were controversial. According to historian W. G. Brown, “The boundaries of the new county seat, and fixed by the new county court, included an irregular area as it was laid off to exclude certain citizens who were opposed to the incorporation and only including the main business places and the citizens sponsoring the measure.”

Nicholas County was then as it is now, a land of beautiful mountains, wild rivers, abundant game, and literally filled with valuable natural resources. However, in those times this vast area was virtually unsettled. It was not however unclaimed. The Virginia Assembly had opened the Western Virginia area by awarding large land masses to Revolutionary War veterans, farmers, settlers and most especially to politically connected land speculators.

John Hamilton was both a soldier and a well connected speculator and he was instrumental in the formation of Nicholas County. Unfortunately he passed away in September 1818, a short month after the county's formation. Many still consider John Hamilton to be the father of Summersville.

From its early formation, Summersville was a sleepy farming community, and by 1860 was home to less than 100 residents. For Summersville, the Civil War changed everything. During the winter of 1864-65, both Union and Confederate armies were encamped in Summersville or nearby. It was during that winter that the town and all its buildings were burned to the ground. Although the war ended soon after, the destruction of the town was discouraging, and citizens were very slow to return and rebuild. The rebuilding showed little progress until after 1875. Many of the earlier residents had packed their wagons and headed west with visions of free land, quick wealth and perfect weather, but many returned home with tales of a cold and uninviting flat land.

By 1884, Summersville was again home to over 100 citizens, and slowly became the commerce center of the county. Agriculture continued to be the major commerce of the area until the late 1930s when large coal operations began to spring up in various locations near Summersville. Since that time the coal industry has been the major employer in the area.

History of Summersville Dam

Summersville Dam, located just off Rt. 19, in Nicholas County, West Virginia, is the second largest rock fill dam in the Eastern United States. Since the dam’s dedication by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966, millions of local residents and visitors have enjoyed the largest lake in West Virginia as well as the surrounding wildlife management lands. Visitors continue to be awed by the clarity of the lake and the surrounding majestic sandstone cliffs. Over 2,700 surface acres of water and 60 miles of shoreline provide a large assortment of outdoor activities.

Construction of the dam began in February 1960, and work was completed in May of 1966. Western Construction of Sioux City, Iowa built the rock fill dam with clay center for the Army Corps of Engineers at a cost of $48,075,800. The Army Corps’ desire was to build a dam that would: reduce flood damage, augment low water flow, provide recreation, and enable fish and wildlife management.

Traditionally, the dam is usually named after the closest town. In this case, however, the town of Gad was closest and purposefully flooded for construction. Local residents were averse to naming the dam “Gad dam,” and instead opted to name the dam after the town of Summersville. On September 3, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson presided over the dedication of the dam, and spoke of his gratefulness and appreciation of those government officials in attendance.

“In a sense, the whole story of man is revealed in his search for dependable water supplies. Where there has been too little, wars have been fought over what there was. Where there has been too much, great cities and flourishing agricultures have been engulfed and destroyed. Where there was enough – and where people could depend upon it and where the people could control it – civilization has blossomed and has endured.” –President Lyndon B. Johnson

The Corps of Engineers estimated the prevention of flood damage has saved over $407,400,000. Reservoir releases are maintained by a minimum release of 100 cubic feet per second and a maximum of 18,000 cubic feet per second along with a flood pool. The dam has a base thickness of 1,400 feet and a top elevation of 1,738 feet.

Civil War History

Nestled on the rim of the Gauley River Canyon near Summersville, Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park is an important Civil War battle site. On September 10, 1861 Union troops led by Brigadier General William S. Rosecrans engaged the Confederates and forced them to evacuate an entrenched position on the Henry Patterson Farm which overlooked Carnifex Ferry. The Confederate commander, Brigadier General John B. Floyd, retreated across the ferry to the south side of the Gauley River and on eastward to Meadow Bluff near Lewisburg. This Civil War battle represented the failure of a Confederate drive to regain control of the Kanawha Valley. As a result, the movement for West Virginia statehood proceeded without serious threat from the Confederates.